


Scent of an angel

by Mimsynims



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Before and after Armageddon, Dining at the Ritz (Good Omens), Handholding, Kissing, M/M, The Night At Crowley's Flat (Good Omens), Wall thoughts, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:46:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29105796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mimsynims/pseuds/Mimsynims
Summary: They should be trying to find the Antichrist, but Aziraphale finds himself getting distracted by his own thoughts. Thoughts about Crowley.Starts shortly after Gabriel and Sandalphon visited the bookshop and contains moments we know from the show - and more importantly - those we don't.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 57





	1. Before Armageddon (aka The introduction)

**Author's Note:**

> (It works best if you have already seen the show and can "fill in the blanks.")
> 
> So, this is my first ever fic! Please be gentle :)

”I know what _you_ smell like.” 

The phrase kept repeating in Aziraphale’s mind, where he stood by his desk in the bookshop. He didn’t know why; after 6000 years it would be strange if Crowley didn’t know. He of course knew what Crowley smelled like - oh he most certainly did. You’d maybe think that as a demon he would reek of brimstone or sulphur, but no, that was not the case with Crowley. Just thinking about it, Aziraphale felt like he could sense him right now: spicy but sweet, with a diminutive hint of apple.   
It had taken him quite a few centuries before he could figure out the last one. He wondered if that had been intentional on Crowley’s part.

Aziraphale wondered what he himself smelled like. He really couldn’t tell, but he hoped it wasn’t something off-putting. He guessed he could always ask Crowley… He suddenly found himself once again lost in thoughts: Crowley leaning in and nuzzling his neck, breathing in his scent. If he allowed it, the fantasy then went on to Crowley kissing the soft skin behind his ear and… 

_No!_ This won’t do, won’t do at all. Aziraphale shook his head to clear his mind from the distracting daydreams and picked up one of the books that laid on the desk in front of him. He stared at it, trying to figure out what he had intended to do with it. It had been an hour since Gabriel and Sandalphon had visited the bookshop and he should focus on figuring out where the Antichrist – and the hell-hound – were. He sighed. His books had always been a comfort to him, but now not even they helped him in this precarious situation. Thankfully, there suddenly was a ringing sound coming from behind him, so he let go of both book and thought, and turned his attention to the telephone instead.

¤¤¤

_Tadfield Airbase, later that day  
_

They had gone to Tadfield in search of the hospital files, in hopes of tracking down the Antichrist. They were walking down the corridor of the building that used to be the hospital, when Aziraphale made the mistake of calling Crowley nice, which resulted in him getting pushed against the wall by the offended demon.

“Shut it! I’m a demon. I’m not nice. I’m never nice. Nice is a four-letter word. I will not have-”

Aziraphale had stopped listening as soon as his back hit the wall. He realised that he probably should be at least a little bit worried about Crowley’s outburst because he rarely showed his temper around the angel, and he actually seemed upset this time. But all Aziraphale could think about was how close they were, their noses even touched at one point. He caught a whiff of Crowley’s own scent, and was once again reminded of the fantasies he’d had earlier that day. If he leaned in just a little bit, their lips would-

“Excuse me gentlemen. Sorry to break up an intimate moment, can I help you?”

It took Aziraphale a moment to let go of his thoughts and focus on the woman that approached them.

“ _You.”_ said Crowley, while still holding on to Aziraphale’s collar.

Aziraphale side-glanced at Crowley. Why did this infernal woman have to show up and interrupt them at exactly the wrong moment?! He was annoyed, but when Crowley snapped his fingers and froze the woman, Aziraphale still felt a bit sorry for her.

“You didn’t have to do that. You could have just asked her!” Still a bit flustered, Aziraphale started straightening his bow tie to cover up the slight tremble of his hands.

“Of course, of course. Yeah, no,‘excuse me, ma’am, we’re two supernatural entities just looking for the notorious Son of Satan. Wonder if you could help us with our enquiries?’” said Crowley sarcastically.

Aziraphale took a deep breath and turned to the woman. This wasn’t the time to linger on about what ifs… They had Armageddon to deal with.


	2. After Armageddon (the one that never happened)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armageddon has been averted, and it's time to figure out the rest.

_The last day, once again back in Tadfield  
_

Armageddon had been averted. They had found Adam, the Antichrist, and together they had somehow stopped the Four Horsemen and, actually, Satan himself. Well, all of it was mostly thanks to Adam, The Them, Anathema and Newt really. It had also unfortunately included having to stand up to their bosses… Beelzebub and Gabriel were definitely not happy about it.

They were now sitting on a bench outside the quaint little church in Tadfield, waiting for a bus back to London.

The bus was now approaching in the distance.

“Oh, there it is. It says Oxford on the front,” Aziraphale said with a slight frown.

“Yeah, but he’ll drive to London anyway. He just won’t know why.”

“I suppose I should get him to drop me off at the bookshop.”

“It burned down, remember?” Crowley says with a slightly worried tone. 

Aziraphale had forgotten about that. With everything that had happened that day, he’d actually managed to forget that part. He sagged a little.

“You can stay at my place, if you like,” continued Crowley.

Aziraphale felt conflicted, like he sometimes did when it came to matters of Heaven and his precious demon.

“I don’t think my side would like that.”

“You don’t have a side any more, neither of us do. We’re on our own side.”

The bus arrived at the stop and they got on, both quiet and feeling a bit sloshed after the bottle of wine they had shared while waiting. In earlier instances when they had been meeting on buses, they would sit in different seats so as to not appear to be in company of each other. This time there was no reason to, and in unspoken agreement they sat down next to each other.

Aziraphale wasn’t sure which of them it was that reached for the other’s hand first, but it was definitely Crowley that was bold enough to lace their fingers together. Aziraphale didn’t say anything, he just side-glanced at Crowley, practically beaming on the inside. His stomach was doing the gavotte.

This had been an exhausting day, he could feel his energy drain out of him and before he knew it, Aziraphale was asleep with his head on Crowley’s shoulder. 

When the bus finally arrived in London, Aziraphale was still asleep and didn’t wake up until the bus stopped in Mayfair, not far from Crowley’s apartment. The sound of the bus door opening made Aziraphale finally stir and he looked dozily up, only to find the demon looking at him with a small smile. They were still holding hands.

“Time to wake up angel, this is our stop,” said Crowley, the smile growing just a little bit bigger.

Embarrassed he’d fallen asleep and probably kept Crowley from doing the same, he looked away and kept his eyes towards the ground as they got off the bus. He didn’t let go of the hand though.

“Sure you don’t want to stay at my place? I guess you could find a hotel or something, but considering what happened today, we’re both probably safer if we stay together.” 

Aziraphale sighed and dared to look at Crowley again.

“You do have a point there. In this instance it’s probably not a good idea to go our different ways.”

“Come on then,” Crowley said and pulled the angel along with him towards his apartment building.

Crowley unlocked the door and strolled in, finally letting go off Aziraphale’s hand to take off his jacket and glasses. Aziraphale looked awkwardly around, not sure what to do next. He had visited before, but never stayed long so he wasn’t really familiar with the place. Crowley had shown off his plants very proudly one time (he had acted like a collector presenting his favourite objects, although he would never admit it), but other than that he knew nothing about the other rooms.  
What would happen now? Should they go to sleep? Wait... Did Crowley have more than one bed? Or would they have to share? He unconsciously started wringing his hands at the thought.

“Hey.” Crowley took hold of his hands. “We’re safe for now, no need to worry at the moment.” He dropped the hands again. “Do you want to take a shower? Guess you’d normally just miracle yourself clean, but perhaps we should minimise using that for now.”

Relieved that Crowley didn’t pick up on what Aziraphale really was worried about, he took the opportunity to get away for just a moment and accepted the offer. Crowley pointed him towards his bedroom.

“Just go through there, the bathroom’s to the left.” He turned around and was about to walk to his office.

“Crowley, wait-”

The words came out before Aziraphale even realised what he was doing. Crowley stopped and turned around again.

“Oh, right. Sorry. The towels are in the cupboard next to the sink.”

Aziraphale was at a tipping point and struggled with himself for a few moments. This might be the last night they spent together. Who knew what would happen tomorrow? Well, if he was being honest with himself they would most likely not be alive this time tomorrow. He finally made a decision and walked towards Crowley who was still standing there, apparently having picked up on that Aziraphale wanted to say something more. He stopped closely in front of him, focusing his eyes on Crowley’s chest for a moment before he raised his head as they locked eyes. Those beautiful, amazing golden eyes. He’d always thought it was a shame that the demon regularly hid them behind his glasses. He placed a hand on Crowley’s chest.

“Crowley, I just wanted… Wanted to say thank you, for today and… Well, for our friendship, through all of these years.” He leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek. Just as he was pulling away, Crowley reached up a hand and gently drew his face towards him and kissed him softly on the lips. Stunned, Aziraphale just stared at him for a second, before closing his eyes and started kissing back. That sparked something in Crowley, and he placed both arms around Aziraphale’s waist and pulled him tight against his chest. After a long moment they both stopped to catch their breath.

“Thought I’d lost you,” Crowley whispered, and leaned his forehead against Aziraphale’s. He drew a deep breath. “Thought I’d never see you again.” He pulled back a bit, and Aziraphale could see tears in his eyes.

“Now now, my dear, I’m still here aren’t I?” He wiped away a tear on Crowley’s cheek with his thumb. “No use in dwelling on that, I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere.” He wasn’t used to Crowley being vulnerable like this, it felt odd but he found it quite endearing. 

They were standing like that for a little while, needing that insurance that they both were still here. It was Crowley that moved first, pulling away a bit but not fully releasing his grip on Aziraphale.

“Right. We need a plan. Any suggestions?”

“You don’t think we could, I don’t know, persuade them that this wasn’t our fault? That we were only pawns in the Ineffable plan?”

“I very much doubt it, angel. Besides, I don’t think it matters because we embarrassed both our bosses. They will want to punish us either way.”

“Oh, this is impossible… I wish we could trade places.” Aziraphale said desperately. He took a few steps back and started wringing his hands again.

“Wait a minute, what did that last prophecy say?” Crowley asked and pointed at the pocket where Aziraphale had placed the little piece of paper with Agnes’s prophecy he’d caught when Crowley had thrown the book to Anathema.

Aziraphale didn’t need it to remember.

“Choose your faces… Crowley, we need to switch our appearances!”

Crowley smirked.

“I knew you would figure it out. Now then, if I’m to use that body tomorrow you’ll definitely need to shower.” He winked. “You go first, and I’ll order in some food for you in the meantime.”

“You’ll need to shower too, you know,” Aziraphale said with a pout, but then gave Crowley a thankful smile.

“Go, go.” Crowley shooed him away towards the bedroom and went into the office to order take out

The food had already arrived once Aziraphale got out of the shower, and Crowley had set up a plate for him on a small table in the bedroom. The room was not as big as he had imagined it would be, but the bed definitely was. It was huge, and the bedding looked luxurious. Red and black, of course.

“Are you not going to eat?”

“Nah. Maybe I’ll grab something of what’s left after I’ve showered. See you in a bit, angel. Eat.” He pointed towards the boxes on the table, and then went into the bathroom.

The bathroom smelled like Aziraphale now. Crowley stopped and drew a deep breath, inhaling the scent of vanilla, lilac and a vague but unmistakable hint of pears, a scent he would recognise anywhere. He wondered if that last one had been intentional on Aziraphale’s part.

While Aziraphale had put on his clothes again before leaving the bathroom, Crowley just sauntered out wearing nothing but a towel around his hips, his hair still damp. Aziraphale was just about to dig into the dessert Crowley so thoughtfully had added to their order, when he looked up and consequently dropped the fork he was holding.

“You OK, Aziraphale?” Crowley had gone to his dresser to get a new shirt and had his back to Aziraphale, and therefore didn’t see said angel gaping at him.

“Oh.” Aziraphale tried to gather himself from the vision that was Crowley’s bare upper body. “Oh, yes sorry. I was ehh.. just startled, didn’t see you coming out from the bathroom.” He strained to get his voice normal.

“Right, too focused on that cake, ey? I thought you might like it.” Crowley gave him a big smile.

“Ah yes, exactly.” He tried to laugh, but it came out more as a croak.

Shirt in hand, Crowley went back into the bathroom and Aziraphale let out a shaky breath. He hadn’t been prepared to see him like that, still wet and glistening. It only took a moment though, and then Crowley came back out from the bathroom, now only in underpants.

“I don’t know why I did that, it’s not like I’ll need it until tomorrow anyway.”

Aziraphale managed to not get flustered this time, being more prepared to the sight of that bare chest.

“So, sleeping arrangements. I only have one bed, but as you can see it’s really big so we should be able to both sleep there without bothering each other.”

Aziraphale once again was reminded that this might be their last night together. Did he really want to spend it away from Crowley? Sure Crowley wouldn’t be far away, he’d be quite near actually, but he wanted to be close to him now. He tentatively put down the fork and stood up, still hesitating a bit. Crowley seemed to sense what Aziraphale was thinking and stepped close to him, putting his hands on his shoulders.

“Or if you rather want, we can absolutely bother each other.”

Aziraphale placed his arms around Crowley’s waist and drew him in for a hug. Crowley bent down his head and nuzzled his neck.

“Oh, you smell so good. Wanted to do this for a very long time.”

“Me too, my dear, me too.”

The skin under Aziraphale’s hands was warm and damp, it felt so nice to finally touch him. He squeezed gently and felt a kiss on the spot right under his ear. Just like in his fantasies… He sighed happily and squeezed a little bit harder. He could feel him nibbling the skin now, and let out a moan.

“Oh, you like that do you?” He nibbled again, which produced another moan from the angel, louder this time. The sound made Crowley shiver.

“Oh sorry, you must be freezing,” Aziraphale broke away looking a bit worried.

Crowley laughed.

“My dear angel, that was because of you, not the temperature. But now that you mention it, you seem to be a bit overdressed.” He started to unbutton Aziraphale’s waistcoat. They both worked on getting off the rest, leaving only his underpants still on. Crowley could see that Aziraphale had become a bit self conscious, so he took his hand and led him towards the bed. He released the hand, pulled away the bed covers and placed himself on the bed, his back against the pillows. He patted the bed next to him.

“Come here,” he said, but when he could see that Aziraphale still looked uncertain, he added, “Just want to hold you, OK?” and raised his arm towards him.

Aziraphale nodded, laid himself down and placed his head on Crowley’s shoulder. He released a sigh and reached his arm over Crowley’s chest when he pulled him closer.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know why I hesitated. I want this too.” He looked up and stared into his eyes. Those mesmerizing eyes. Crowley leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips.

“Been a long day, and we need to be ready early tomorrow if we’re to fool everyone. Are you comfortable like this? If you don't mind I would like to sleep with you in my arms.”

Aziraphale wiggled a little and snuggled closer, planting his nose in the nook of his neck.

“Comfortable,” was all he answered, with a content smile.

¤¤¤

Aziraphale woke up, still with a smile on his face. Some time during the night, they had both moved and Aziraphale had now his back against Crowley’s chest, legs tangled. He could feel his arms around him, holding a steady grip as if he was afraid his angel might disappear again. The thought made him happy, until he remembered why Crowley might have these fears. It had been awful to reject him like that, but he had felt it necessary at the time. He sighed quietly. No use in thinking about it now, it had happened and he was here now, wasn’t he?

“Unhappy, Aziraphale?” Crowley said and squeezed him a little bit closer. He put his nose in the soft curls on Aziraphale’s neck and took a deep breath. “You smell so good. Have I told you I love your scent? The scent of an angel.” 

Aziraphale blushed at the unexpected declaration but didn’t respond, he just turned around and pressed his lips to Crowley’s in a silent thank you.

“And I love your eyes.” He placed a hand on Crowley’s cheek. “Those golden, enchanting eyes.”

“Really? The eyes of a snake?”

“Yes.”

Crowley smiled radiantly.

They continued to just stare into each other's eyes, not wanting to let the moment go. It was Aziraphale that broke the spell this time.

“It’s time, isn’t it.” It was a statement, not a question. He took one last look, then shuffled out of the bed.

“Yeah… I guess,” Crowley said and got up too.

They helped each other get dressed. They didn’t try to prolong it, but they didn’t rush either. Once done, Crowley started heading for the foyer but stopped when Aziraphale touched his arm. He raised one eyebrow in a silent question. Aziraphale looked like he needed to get something off his chest, and he visibly took a deep breath before he finally spoke.

“I love you,” Aziraphale said in a low voice, suddenly a bit shy again.

“Quite right, too,” Crowley answered teasingly with a hint of affection.

Aziraphale glared at him and punched him lightly on the chest.

“Fiend.”

Crowley laughed quietly and smiled at Aziraphale with a look of complete adoration.

“I’m sorry angel, just couldn’t help myself. You’re so cute when you’re grumpy” he said and winked.

Now Aziraphale really looked grumpy, so Crowley closed the distance between them and planted a kiss on Aziraphale’s forehead.

“Sorry. I do love you too, my dearest Aziraphale.”

Aziraphale looked up at him, love evident in his eyes. His wonderful, amazing demon. How could he ever be without him again? They must get through this. Crowley took a step back and reached out his hand.

“Right, let’s try this swap thing then.”

Aziraphale took his hand and squeezed it gently. He gave him an encouraging smile.

“This will work.”

And on cue, the transformation began and was finished almost as fast as it had started. They both moved their bodies and took a few steps around to get a feel for their new vessel. Aziraphale, feeling a little more bold than usual, now that he was in Crowley’s body, waved a finger towards the demon.

“Come here.”

Crowley, now in Aziraphale’s body, complied with a curious look. Aziraphale grabbed his collar and drew him in for a kiss. Pleasantly surprised, Crowley placed his hands on his cheeks and kissed him back. 

“Sorry, I just got this strange notion that I wanted to know how it feels,” Aziraphale said when they drew back.

“To kiss yourself, you mean?” Crowley teased with a wink, that looked a bit out of place coming from what appeared to be Aziraphale, but wasn’t.

“Well no I… Yes, I guess that too.” He looked a bit embarrassed, which looked odd on Crowley’s face. “But it’s more that I want to experience it as you. To feel what you feel, when you kiss me.”

“Oh. Can’t tease you for that, angel.” He gave him an honest smile.

They looked at each other in silence for a few moments.

“Well, it seems to be holding, so better get a move on then, while it’s still early. I’ll swing by the bookshop while you stay here for a bit, and then we meet up at the park?” Crowley walked towards the foyer and reached for the glasses on the counter, then withdrew his hand when he remembered he wasn’t the one that was going to use them this time.

“Be careful, my dear.”

“You too. And remember, you’re me now.”

“Right… Be careful, angel,” Aziraphale said with a smirk, attempting to imitate Crowley. It was a pretty decent imitation, if you didn’t know what to look for.

“You too, my dear,” answered Crowley in his own imitation of Aziraphale.

Crowley hesitated, then went back to hug Aziraphale one last time.

“See you later.”

And then he was gone. Aziraphale wondered what he would do while he waited. He didn’t dare touch the plants, he imagined Crowley would kill him if he even laid a finger on them – if he survived the day that is. He made his way towards the office, in search of a book or other, to entertain him.

¤¤¤

_Later, at the Ritz_

“To the world.”

“To the world.”

They clinked their glasses and smiled adoringly at each other. Aziraphale was still amazed that it actually had worked. It had seemed like a good idea when they came up with it, but he had been feeling anxious that someone still would manage to figure the rouse out. Well, it wasn’t certain that someone wouldn’t put two and two together in the future but he decided to not dwell on it. Here and now, Crowley was safe and happy, and nothing else was important. He looked at his demon. _His_ demon. Yes, that was how he thought of him now.

“Are you ready angel, or do you want anything more for dessert?”

“Thank you for asking, but I’m quite satisfied at the moment.”

Crowley raised an eyebrow and smiled devilishly at him.

“Oh, are you now? Are you sure you’re.. satisfied?”

Aziraphale caught the double entendre and blushed. It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about it too, but it was one thing to think about it and quite another...

“Sorry, didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable...” Crowley looked uncertain, not sure if he’d made a mistake.

“No no, don’t apologize. You caught me off guard, that is all.” Aziraphale placed his hand on top of Crowley’s. “Your place or mine?”

This made Crowley speechless. For a moment. A very brief moment.

“You choose, angel.” He smiled again.

“Well, your bed was really comfortable…”

“Right, I’ll get the check. If you were sure you don’t want anything else?”

“Only you.”

This time, Aziraphale thought it looked like Crowley blushed slightly. It disappeared right away though, so he wasn’t sure if he’d imagined it. Crowley settled the check and stood up. He reached for Aziraphale’s hand and laced their fingers as they made their way toward the exit.

“Tell me again about the part with the rubber duck..?” Crowley asked as they left the Ritz, hand in hand, ready to face the world together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone in Arthur's Bar for your help and support! :D


End file.
